Wisconsin PALS Parent Letters

Last year, we create PALS Parent Brochures that we shared with parents at conferences. The PALS Wisconsin Resource Center has recently developed more in-depth parent letters and information. Please visit: PALS Wisconsin Resource Center to access all parent letters and resources.

Notice and Note Close Reading Strategies

I have had the opportunity to work in a few classrooms and help introduce students and teachers to the Notice and Note Signposts.  Earlier this spring, I was able to participate in a book study on the book
Notice and Note Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst.  We had some great conversations on how to use these strategies with elementary students. We found a great Live Binder with links to videos from the authors.  

I have had a few coaching requests to work in classrooms to teach the students and teacher about the signposts. I created a Notice and Note Google Presentation with references to the mentor texts used to teach these signposts.  Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about these great literacy strategies.

In one classroom, after modeling and practicing the signposts together, we had the students try finding the signposts in their independent reading.  We were very pleased with the results and had some great group discussions!

Mentor Text Monday

Another text to focus on today can be used with the 5th grade Journey to Meaning Unit:  What's the Point?  Theme is Short Text, Poetry, and Song. The book is Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman. A fifth grade teacher felt it fit well with the unit and her students really embraced the poems about insects.  There is even a poem about Book Lice!

 Link to sample amazon with text preview.

Link to Writing Fix with more information about Joyful Noise: A Poem for Two Voices

Mentor Text Monday

Ok, so it is November and this is my first Mentor Text Monday post of the year!
I thought I would start with a book that is featured in the Core Ready 1st grade Journey to Meaning Unit.  The Unit, "Getting to Know You:  Discovering Characters in Narrative Stories."  features many great books for young students.  Pam Allyn chose Cynthia Rylant's Poppelton Forever as a Core Text for this unit.    I have always enjoyed reading the Poppleton books with my beginning readers.  It is so great for them to experience the characters, once they are able to read a text with a little bit more complexity.  Used at this time of the year, your students will be hearing texts that many of them will not be able to read independently until later in the year.  

This text works well, but any text with a major character and supporting characters will also work well for this unit, if you do not have access to this or any of the Poppleton books.

I found this YouTube link of a class reading the first story in Poppleton Forever- The Tree.



Here is the Goodreads review:

Poppleton Forever (Poppleton)

by Cynthia Rylant, Mark Teague

4.2 of 5 stars

In three charming new stories, Poppleton the pig gets help from his friends when his new tree begins to wilt; when he catches a cold; and later, when he decides to wallpaper his house. Learning is great for Poppleton, but it's much better when it's done with friends. Full color.

Reading Nonfiction- Notice and Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies- Book Review

I was very excited to open the mail this weekend to find my copy of the long-awaited Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Book by Beers and Probst.  I haven't had a chance to start reading yet, but found this great review.  I have included it below.
If you are interested in doing a book study let me know.

Another Nonfiction Winner from Beers and Probst

BY MIDDLEWEB · 10/22/2015

Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and StrategiesBy Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst
(Heinemann, 2015 – Learn more)

Reviewed by Linda Biondi

You are invited to a book party…

Get ready to be challenged, enlightened, and invigorated. Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies is hitting the bookstores this week. Teachers who were enamored with Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading will fall in love again. (Or should I say “again and again.”)

I would love to say that I have been teaching close reading all along, but as I’ve reflected more deeply in the past year, I’ve realized that teaching “close reading” is not enough. I need to teach students how to become immersed in the text so that they not only ask questions about their reading but question what they are reading.

One of the best resources I have seen to help us teach non-fiction reading strategies is this new book from Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. The authors have taken what they know about reading and used it to introduce strategies called Signposts, a reading routine that provides students with a better understanding of “what to look for” as they are reading.

Signposts provide a signal to students to slow down their reading and think. This leads to a much deeper understanding of the text and assists students in creating evidence-based responses as they continue to read. (Link to keep reading)

Family Literacy Newsletters

Many of you are always on the lookout for some great literacy tips to share with families.  I came across the Wisconsin State Reading Association's Family Literacy Newsletter.
They have many great resources and tips to share with parents about the Literacy Standards and how to support students at home.
Here is the Link:  WSRA Family Literacy Newsletters

March Madness Book Championship

I know some of you  have done this in your classroom.  Here is another March Madness Book Winner from Two Reflective Teachers.

March Madness Book Edition 2015: Championship and Champion Announcement!

My class loved Fish in a Tree and One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, as read alouds this year so it was no surprise that both titles were voted into our championship round! 

  

We are huge fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt and for the past 2 years, One for the Murphys has been in our championship round and won! So I couldn't wait to see how students would vote between two of their favorite read alouds from this year because it was going to be a tough decision.  

To read more head to Two Reflective Teachers Blog.